In Which I Meet a Hero

This weekend, one of my favorite things on earth, Wiretap, came here to do a performance. (Why in God's name a Canadian show decided to time their arrival to Arizona in JULY is beyond me, though). Jonathan Goldstein is a genius, and in addition to being a Wiretap junkie, I've followed his stuff on This American Life and in print (both his essays and his novel). So I was beyond excited to meet him and have him sign his novel. But I was completely crestfallen when he told the hipster asshat in front of me in line that he LOVED the guy's tattoo. Of a bear playing a guitar. Which then made me all deflated and self-conscious and not wanting to seem like a loser groupie, so I lost all desire to explain what a mega-fan I am and to beg him to take me on as an intern on his show. So instead I just shuffled forward and had him sign my book without speaking anything more than "hello."

Aside from that, the performance reaffirmed just how awesome Wiretap is, especially since I learned that Doug Savage's sticky notes were a pivotal part of Jonathan's presentation. From now on, though, I might stick to listening to Wiretap rather than trying to seek it out in live form.